Title
Community Assistance Program (CAP) Update
Description
This report provides the Public Safety and Justice Subcommittee with an update on the expansion of the Community Assistance Program.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.
Report
Summary
In June of 2021, the City Council approved the City Budget for the Fiscal Year 2021-22, which included $15 million to expand the Community Assistance Program (CAP). The CAP is a proven model to assist residents who have experienced a traumatic event, behavioral health crisis, or are experiencing other social welfare concerns. The CAP is the foundation of our efforts to address those community needs that do not expressly align with the mission of traditional emergency and public safety services. To meet the diverse needs of those we serve, the CAP team continues collaborating with community partners and connecting individuals with appropriate resources.
The CAP expansion is underway with several aspects to achieve long-term program success and sustainment. The goal is for the CAP to increase the number of Crisis Response Units (CRU) from five to ten and create nine Behavioral Health Units (BHU).
A multidisciplinary team of City departments have been working to implement the numerous aspects of the CAP expansion. Highlights of recent progress are summarized as follows:
From the beginning, the CAP has worked diligently with Human Resources to focus hiring efforts to attract, retain, and promote full-time and part-time positions. Despite the challenging job market, CAP has hired 30 qualified professionals including Casework Service Coordinators, Caseworker III's, and Caseworker II's. An additional 11 Peer Support Specialists have been hired through the City's contract with La Frontera Empact and Terros Health. The CAP plans to participate in upcoming hiring fairs and other recruitment vehicles to attract talent. Hiring incentives have been approved for all classes in the Caseworker job family and retention incentives were also recently approved for Caseworker II and Caseworker III positions.
In partnership with the Public Works Department, an initial order was placed for 23 vehicles for the CAP expansion. Due to delays in manufacturing, there have been delays with vehicle readiness. Twelve purchased vehicles have been received to date. Public Works contracted with Herc Rentals to lease five 15-passenger vans for the CAP until the purchased vehicles are put into service.
The CAP expansion team continues to evaluate City-owned properties, private/public properties for lease or sale, and community partnerships with stakeholders as opportunities for locating the CRU and BHU teams throughout the City. Strategic placement is vital to serving social service needs optimally, especially along the I-17 corridor. Currently, locations span six facilities throughout the City including the CAP's first community partnership with the Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health (NOAH) Desert Mission Health Center. The various locations operate with multiple schedules to meet the community needs.
The City Council approved a contract with MD Ally for telehealth services in February 2022. Monthly meetings were held with Fire EMS, Fire Dispatch, CAP and MD Ally representatives. The first phase of the program was launched in December 2022 and the pilot program is underway.
CAP staff provided training to Police Department Communications personnel on the BHU's in August 2022 and updated the existing policy to direct operators to divert mental health calls to the appropriate resources. CAP and Police Department Communication staff developed questions to ask to identify calls with a mental health component and to determine which calls should be diverted to a City of Phoenix Behavioral Health Team and which calls should be diverted to a Solari Crisis and Human Services Team. CAP and Solari placed caseworkers within Police Communications to provide support and guidance to operators on decision-making. Police Communications saw a consistent increase in calls being sent to a mental health partner.
Additionally, the Office of Homeless Solutions administers the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) contract for behavioral health services with Mercy Care. This contract has been in place since April 2022 and has served 2,833 individuals. Contract services include mental health assessments, case management, behavioral health counseling, psychotherapy, eviction prevention, Federally Qualified Health Clinic direct services, peer services, and prevention education. As of December 2022, Mercy Care has spent over $2.3 million on the $9 million contract.
Staff have continued to work with Harvard’s Government Performance Lab (GPL) and other GPL Alternative 911 Emergency Response cohort cities. One of the best practices identified is the creation of a community-led task force to review the effectiveness of city mental health-related programs and services and to keep an open dialogue between city leadership, staff and communities. Staff would like to explore creating a community-led task force charged with examining the mental health wellness and safety needs of Phoenix residents consisting of representatives such as licensed behavioral health professionals, crisis intervention specialists, substance abuse and mental health services representatives, public health specialists, hospital/healthcare representatives, individuals with lived experience and at-large community members.
Staff will continue its efforts to actively recruit, hire and expand the City’s Community Assistance Program and related services.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays, Deputy City Manager Ginger Spencer and the Fire Department.